§ 5.46.140. Secondhand automobile dealers, secondhand automobile parts dealers, and automobile wreckers and wrecking establishments—Records and reports.

Every person operating, maintaining or carrying on, the business of a secondhand automobile dealer, secondhand automobile parts dealer, or an automobile wrecking establishment shall keep, or cause to be kept, a record of the purchase, sale, exchange or storage of any automobile, or part thereof or accessory thereto, which record shall at all times be open to the inspection of the Chief of Police, or any officer detailed by him or her, and such person shall, as often as the Chief of Police shall direct, make out and deliver to him or her, on a blank form to be furnished by the Chief of Police, a full and complete report of the purpose, sale, exchange, storage or other transaction of such property. The said report shall contain the name of the person from whom purchased, the make, state license number, motor number, body number, style and seating capacity of all secondhand automobiles purchased, sold, exchanged or placed in storage; the make, size and number of secondhand automobile tires; and the make and number of every secondhand automobile part or accessory so purchased, sold, exchanged or otherwise dealt with, together with such other information concerning said property as may be necessary to prove ownership or identity of such second-hand automobiles or automobile parts and accessories. A violation of any provision of this section shall be a misdemeanor, and it shall further be unlawful for any such person engaged in any such business to dispose of any secondhand automobile or part thereof or accessory thereto, until a report has been made concerning the purchase, sale or exchange of said property to the Chief of Police and he or she, or an officer detailed by him or her, shall have had an opportunity of inspecting the same.

Provided, the foregoing provisions of this section are not intended to require the keeping of records and the making of reports of parts of any vehicle acquired for the purpose of wrecking or dismantling the acquisition of which must be reported to the Department of Motor Vehicles and to the local Police Department under the provisions of Section 11520 of the Vehicle Code of the state of California.

Provided further, every automobile wrecker licensed as such who obtains actual possession of a vehicle subject to registration pursuant to the California Vehicle Code for the purpose of wrecking or dismantling the same, shall within twenty-four (24) hours after the acquisition of such vehicle notify the Chief of Police of such acquisition. Said notice shall be a copy of the form prescribed for such purpose by the Division of Registration of the Department of Motor Vehicles of the state of California, and shall contain information required by said Department and as authorized by Section 11520 of the Vehicle Code of the state of California.

(Prior code § 5-9.09)